Fapy Lafertin is a jazz guitar

Jazz guitar

The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...

ist of Romani ethnicity, one of the foremost contemporary exponents of the Belgian-Dutch style of Gypsy jazz

Gypsy jazz

Gypsy jazz is an idiom often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "Jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz," even in English language sources...

.

Lafertin was born in the Romani community of Manouches, and took up guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 at the age of five. After performing in a family band with his father on violin and his brother on second guitar, he joined the Piotto orchestra. He also toured with his uncle, Eddie Bamboula Ferret. He would later play in WASO  (with Koen de Cauter on reeds

Reed (instrument)

A reed is a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument. The reeds of most Woodwind instruments are made from Arundo donax or synthetic material; tuned reeds are made of metal or synthetics.-Single reeds:Single reeds are used on the mouthpieces of clarinets...

, Albert Vivi Limburger in drums and Michel Verstraeten in double bass

Double bass

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

) before forming his own quintet in 1985. Lafertin later followed a solo career.

Lafertin has worked with many distinguished musicians, including Charlie Byrd

Charlie Byrd

Charlie Lee Byrd was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre...

, Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton (musician)

Scott Hamilton is a jazz tenor saxophonist, born in 1954 and associated with swing and mainstream jazz.-Biography:He emerged in the 1970s and at the time he was considered to be one of the few musicians of real talent who carried the tradition of the classic jazz tenor saxophone in the style of...

, Al Casey

Al Casey

Albert Aloysius Casey known professional as Al Casey, was an African American swing guitarist who played with Fats Waller on some of his famous recordings. Casey composed the well known tune Buck Jumpin which was recorded by Waller.Casey was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Joseph and Maggie B....

, Milt Hinton

Milt Hinton

Milton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...

, violinist Tim Kliphuis

Tim Kliphuis

Tim Kliphuis is a Dutch violinist.He first became known in 1999 when he joined Belgian gypsy guitarist, Fapy Lafertin...

 and Benny Waters

Benny Waters

Benny Waters was a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist known, in part, for the longevity of his career....

 and Stéphane Grappelli

Stéphane Grappelli

Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....

, once Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt

Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...

's partner.

External links

• Biography of Lafertin at his official site